Mine-car bumper



April 14, 1931. DMuNDs MINE GAR BUMPER Filed Sept. 18, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet O O O 6 gm mmgwuewkoo April 14, 1931. G. E. EDMUNDS MINE CAR BUMPER Filed Sept. 18, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Z n/ 3/ d 5 5 0 n W Patented Apr. 14, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GLENN E. EDMUNIDS, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE BONNEY-FLOYD COM- PANY, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO MINE-CAB BUMPER Application filed September 18, 1929. Serial No. 393,532.

The present invention relates to cars, and more particularly to cars ofthe type used in coal mines and industrial plants.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved bumper construction for cars of this type, and an improved combination of bumper and coupler tongue.

The invention has to do with an improvement upon the bumper construction disclosed in my Patent No. 1,690,532, mine car bumper, granted November 6, 1928, and in my copending application, Serial N 0. 210,424, filed August 3, 1927, mine car coupler, the present invention being a continuation-in-part of said copending application.

After mine cars have been used for a time, it is frequently necessary to repair the same, particularly the bumpers or end portions and the side walls. As explained inthe patent, above mentioned, there is a tendency for the side walls to bulge and sag, and furthermore, the repeated collisions between the cars require replacements of the bumper parts or I renewal of the floor ends.

The present invention seeks to provide an improved bumper and associated coupler mechanism which may be readily applied to cars of standard construction and in which the bumper is preferably an integral casting of a type adapted to be quickly applied to a car.

A still further object of the invention is to i provide a coupler tongue of improved construction adapted to be associated with the umper.

j The foregoing and other objects of the invention more closely relating to details of construction, will become clearer in the course of the description of a preferred embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a mine car having the bumper coupler tongue applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a top plan view.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional View.

Figure 4 is a perspective of the bumper with the coupler tongue applied.

Figure 5 is a bottom perspective of the construction shown in Figure 4, and

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the coupler tongue.

Referring to the drawings for a more detailed description, 10 indicates a conventional form of mine car provided with a floor 11 having resting thereon and extending 1ongitudinally of the car, a metallic draft strap or draw bar 12. The floor which, in the present instance, is formed from boards, has a reinforcing ply 11 at its ends, the two plies being protected by a bumper having an apron or vertical web 13 depending from a top horizontal web 14. The inner surfaces of the angle are connected by bracing webs 15 which are relatively thin and spaced apart so as to fit into the floor boards 11, 11', (Figure 3). This may be done either by spacing the boards orkerfs cut into the boards. When applied in this manner, the webs 14L resist any tendency of the bumper toshift laterally and strengthen the apron front against draw bar and impact strains.

Adjacent the ends of the bumper, it is provided with upwardly extending braces 16, such as shown in my patent, each brace being provided with a shoulder 16 so as to form a recess to receive the usual straps 17 which hold together the boards of the car side wall and, as will be observed, the braces are formed with openings 16 through which securing means, such as bolts, may be passed. Extending rearwardly from the top web 14 is a bumper lug 18 which is of substantially greater thickness (Figure 3) than the top web 14 and is formed with an opening 19, preferably of angular form, adapted to receive a lug 20, of corresponding shape, on the undersurface of the head portion 21 of a coupler tongue (Figure 6). The coupler tongue has a forwardly projecting portion 22 adapted to receive a coupler pin 23 and spaced upwardly from the top web of the bumper. Since the opening 19 and coupler tongue lug are of corresponding angular shape, any tendency for the tongue to shift laterally is effectively resisted and, as will be observed, the bumper lug has means, such as the upstanding flanges 24, at the opposite sides of the opening, adapted to receive closely therebetween the head portion 21 of bumper ticularly observed the tongue so as to assist the bumperopening in resisting lateral movement of the.

19 'in the bumper. Preferably, the openingin the draft strap which receives the coupler tongue lug is of angular form so as to assist the registering opening of the lug impreventing turning movement of the tongue. In order to permit ready application of the with the top web 14 thereof resting upon the floor boards (Figure 3) the undersurface oft-he bumper lug 18 is disposed in a plane above the plane of the undersurface of the top web 14:. v V 7 So that the draft strap may, if desired, project forwardly beneath the web 14:, the latter is channeled as at 27. The channeled portion of the bumper web 14 is formed by raising the web as at 14'. above the remainder of the top web, and this'raised portion extends forwardly of the apron and spreads as at 14" so as to merge gradually into the top web without formingabrupt shoulders. The coupler tongue is of the type having in its forwardly projecting tongue portion 22 an opening 21 for receiving the coupler pin 23, this opening registering with an opening-30 in the raised portion 14 of the bumper. The bumper is also provided with an openin '31 so that it may be utilized with acoupl r tongue of the type having a coupler link locking mechanism therewith, such as shown in my co-pending application. Since the locking mechanism of such a coupler tongue forms no part of thepresent invention, it is unnecessary to. describe the same here. The tongue construction,however, is to be'parsince it includes a top reinforcing means, such as the ribs 32 which incline upwardly and rearwardly from the tongue portion 22 to a peak 33 .and then'incline downwardly and rearwardly. This I formation of reinforcing means tends to resist any upward stresses placed upon the forw-ardly projecting tongue portions which receives therebeneath a suitable coupler link 35. Between the reinforcing flanges 32 and in the head portion of the bumper, is formed an opening 36 for a securing bolt 37 and an opening 38 which extends through the lug 20 for a securing bolt 39. 7 These bolts also a pass through the draft bar strap and through both plies of the floor and serve to hold together I the coupler tongue and draft of the bumper and to secure these parts to the car. Itis to be noted that practically all draftstrain is transmitted to the draft strap through thelug 20 of the coupler tongue and bumper. For

this reasjon,the lug18 of thebumper is substantially thicker than the remaining horiso as to eliminate strain upon the bumper and transmit a draft directly to the draft strap12.

- Obviously, the construction shown may be modified; considerably without. departing that the same is described in detail simply for purposes of explanation and that the from-the invention, and it is to be understood terms used throughout the-specification 'are explanatory and'not definitive of the invention, which is definedin the following claims.

qwhatlclaimis: or

1. An integral bumper casting for a car of the class described comprisingua front apron web depending from a top horizontal web portion, and a lug extending rearwardly from said. top web and having its undersurface spaced slightly above .theplane of 'the undersurface of said top web whereby to receive between its undersurface and a;

car floor the end of a draft strap, said lug having means for anchoring a coupler tongue.

2. An integral bumper casting for a car of the class described comprising a front apron web depending from atop horizontal web portion, anda lug extending rearwardly from said top web and having-itsundersurface spaced slightly above the plane of the undersurface of said top, web'whereby to receive bet-weenits undersurfaoe and a our floor the endofa draft strap, said lug being of substantially greater thickness than the top web and havingmeans for anchoring a coupler tongue. 7

a 3. An integral bumper casting fora car of the class described comprising a frontapron web depending from a top horizontal web portion, alugof greater thickness than the top web portion extending rearwardlyfrom said top web and having an undersurface spaced slightly above the plane of the under;- surface of said top web whereby to receive therebeneath a draft strap, said top web having a grooved undersurface aligned with said lug whereby-to receive an extension of a draft strap beneaththe same,.a coupler tongue on said lug, upstanding ribs atopposite sides of said tongue adapted to resist turning movement thereof, and complementa'l .means on said tongue and lug for-securin the tongue to the lug. 1

'41. A mine carrhaving a one end with a pair of transversely spaced substantially vertical cuts or kerfs, anintegral bumper casting for the car comprising a front apron web depending from a top horizontal web portion, and diagonal bracing webs spaced apart andj oining said apron and floor provided a-t top web portion at their interior or under angle, said webs being relatively thin and gtting into said kerfs in the end of the car oor.

5. A coupler tongue having a head portion provided on its undersurface with a depending lug of angular cross section and having a link pin receiving portion projecting forwardly from said head, a reinforcing rib on the upper surface of said tongue peaked upwardly and rearwardly from said link pin portion whereby to reinforce said portion against upward stresses.

6. A coupler tongue having a head portion provided on its undersurface with a depending lug of angular cross section and having a link pin receiving portion projecting forwardly from said head in a plane spaced substantially above the undersurface of said head, a pair of spaced longitudinally extending ribs on the upper surface of said tongue and peaked upwardly and rearwardly from said link pin receiving portion whereby to resist upward stresses on said link pin portion.

7. In combination with a bumper having a top web provided with an opening therethrough, a coupler tongue having a head portion provided on its undersurface with a lag projecting through said opening a substantial distance below the undersurface of said top web, a draft strap beneath said top having an opening receiving said lug, and a forwardly projecting link pin receiving portion on said tongue having an undersurface spaced substantially above the plane of the undersurface of said head portion and positioned over the bumper top web.

8. In combination with a bumper having a top web provided with an opening therethrough, a coupler tongue having a head portion provided on its undersurface with 2 lug projecting through said opening a sub stautial distance below the undersurface of :3 said web, a draft strap beneath said web having an opening receiving said lug, the bumper opening and lug being of angular cross section whereby to resist turning movement of the lug, and a forwardly projecting link pin receiving portion on said tongue having an undersurface spaced substantially above the plane of the undersurface of said head portion and positioned over the bumper top web.

9. In combination with a bumper having a top web provided with an opening therethrough, a coupler tongue having a head portion provided on its undersurface with a lug projecting through said opening a substantial distance below the undersurface of said web, a draft strap beneath said web having an opening receiving said lug, the bumper and draft strap openings and lug being of angular cross section whereby to resist turning movement of the tongue, and

a forwardly projecting link pin receiving portion on face spaced the undersurface of said tongue head portion and positio ned over the bumper top web.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

GLENN E. EDMUNDS. 

